Messy play - soft, wet and really messy materials

Children may take some time to work up to this stage. You may need to ease a child into these types of activities and be aware of them resisting or becoming sensitive. Always show your child that you are enjoying the experience of handling the materials, even if this is difficult for you.

If your child finds this difficult, you can use tools (paint brushes, toys) to touch the materials rather than directly using their hands straight away.

Some materials you could use are:

• Paint
• Cornflour
• Water
• Shaving foam
• Baby oil or baby lotion
• Wet mud
• Bubbles
• Paper mâché
• Food
• Glue
• Gloop (cornflour and water)